Paper Mario: Twist of Time
Paper Mario: Twist of Time is a Paper Mario game. Plot Prologue: The Past is Always Present Mario, Princess Peach, and Toadsworth arrive in Starlight City, having been invited by Professor Goombarry to help unfold the history of the Tempora Tribe. Supposedly, the Tempora Tribe controlled the flow of time itself, and since the areas of the Starlight Kingdom were similar to various time periods, many theorized that the Tempora Tribe had once lived there. However, a disaster of some sort caused the Tempora Tribe to retreat into another dimension known as Dimension T. The only remnants of the tribe were the Instruments of Time, which could supposedly reveal the secrets of the Tempora Tribe. Mario, helped by Goombarry's student Goombess, set out to find all seven of the instruments, using the master of the instruments, the Infinity Baton, to locate them. Chapter 1: An Adventure of Royal Proportions Mario arrives in the kingdom of Viridia, where he is to have the Spirit Guitar presented to him by King Koopington LXXXV. However, a mysterious magician comes to entertain the king during his royal banquet before promptly using his magic to take over the castle. Mario, Goombess, and a knight named Sir Koopalot are the only ones to escape, and they attempt to infiltrate the castle and obtain the Spirit Guitar from the magician, who has stolen it. Chapter 2: Walk on the Wild Side Mario arrives in the quiet village of Shyton, home of the Echo Flute. While Sheriff Shyster would normally be happy to give Mario the Echo Flute, it has been stolen. Sheriff Shyster has framed a bandit named El Roberto, but the true thieves are the Sunset Bandits, a fiendish gang of three who run a local crime syndicate. Mario must clear Roberto's name and stop the Sunset Bandits so he can obtain the Echo Flute. Gameplay Gameplay-wise, Paper Mario: Twist of Time returns to the series' roots, with partners and even an audience on the GamePad. As usual, there are action commands and two main attacks, jump and hammer, along with various badges, items, and special moves to mix things up. Partners still have their own HP bar and unique moveset. Paper Abilities Like Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Mario has various Paper Abilities that he can use with the Y button. By simply pressing and holding Y, he uses Paper Thinness, turning sideways and thus incredibly thin. In this way, he can get through very tight gaps. Pressing Y atop a Plane Panel activates Paper Plane, allowing Mario to fly to areas that cannot be reached otherwise. Pressing Y atop a Boat Panel activates Paper Boat, allowing Mario to essentially swim. There is also a new move, Paper Ball, that is activated by pressing B when in Paper Thinness. It crumples Mario into a ball, allowing him to access special areas and build up kinetic energy to hit things. Battles As with Thousand-Year Door, battles are turn-based endeavors, taking place on a stage with an audience on the GamePad. The audience can influence battle, and stage props can fall. Additionally, Stylish Moves and Appeals return, allowing Mario to gain Star Power he can use to use Special Moves. Mario also has four ranks: Breakout Star, Rising Star, A-List Star, and Super Star. As he ranks up, the stage gets more elaborate and can thus influence battle in more ways with things like fog machines and fireworks. Partners * Goombess: Goombess is a Goomba intern with Merlon, and is busy researching Clockwork Stars. She is quite sarcastic and fast-talking, but does care for her friends. Her overworld ability has her tell Mario about the area or specific characters. She can also translate the ancient Chronese language. In battle, her attacks are Headbonk, Tattle, Multibonk, and Skybonk. * Sir Koopalot: Sir Koopalot is a Koopa knight of King Arturtle's round table, the greatest of all his knights. He has the utmost loyalty to Mario, and highly respects women. His overworld ability has him duck into his shell, which can be thrown to hit switches and even held in place to delay a hit. In battle, his attacks are Shell Toss, Power Shell, Shell Fort, and Tornado Shell. * El Roberto: El Roberto is a rogue Shy Guy who steals from nobles to give to the poor people. He is always on the run, wanting to get things over with fast and efficiently. His overworld ability has him call his Chain Chomp Roberto Jr., who can be ridden to scale steep cliffs and move fast. In battle, his attacks are Sack Whack, Chomp Call, Loot, and Getaway. * Bamses: Bamses is a Bob-Omb pharaoh, ruling over all Sandria and the Scorching Sands. He is used to being treated royally, so he often complains about current conditions. His overworld ability has him explode, blowing up certain objects or surfaces such as cracked stone walls. In battle, his attacks are Bomb, Power Bomb, Fuse Light, and Solar Bomb. *